Hobbit finale ‘Five Armies’ wins box office battle

Peter Jackson’s final installment of his J.R.R. Tolkien adventures, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” debuted domestically with $56.2 million over the weekend and $90.6 million since opening Wednesday, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Additional Images

Martin Freeman appears in “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” Warner Bros./ The Associated Press

Aided by popularity on Imax screens, “Five Armies” dominated the pre-Christmas period with a five-day haul similar to the franchise’s previous entry, “The Desolation of Smaug,” although its actual debut weekend was notably less than both prior “Hobbit” movies.

Another final installment in a trilogy, “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” opened in a distant second place. The Fox comedy, which features Robin Williams’ final performance. The franchise’s previous debut was $54.2 million for 2009’s “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.”

Sony Pictures’ remake of “Annie,” starring Quvenzhane Wallis as the titular orphan, opened with $16.3 million.

Last week’s top film, Ridley Scott’s Moses epic, “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” tumbled to fourth place with $8.1 million in its second week.

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